1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an apparatus for separating articles into groups containing a predetermined number of articles, and more particularly, to an apparatus for separating pointed sticks into such groups to facilitate their unloading from a conveyor and subsequent packaging.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
In my copending application, Ser. No. 703,971 filed July 9, 1976, and entitled "Paper Stick Pointing Apparatus", an apparatus is disclosed for grinding concical points on one end of a plurality of paper sticks. The sticks are used as a holder inserted into a variety of diverse products, such as confections, feminine hygiene tampons, and the like. The ends of the sticks are ground by an abrasive belt positioned at an angle to a chain link conveyor which moves each stick sequentially past the abrasive belt. As the end of each stick is ground, it is rotated on the chain link conveyor.
At the conclusion of the grinding operation, the pointed sticks are fed to a runout conveyor. An operator manually removes and loads a predetermined number of the sticks into a shipping carton. This invention provides an apparatus for segregating the sticks on the conveyor into groups containing a predetermined number of the sticks, e.g., 500, so that an operator may grasp a segragated group of the sticks, remove them from the conveyor, and load them directly into a shipping carton without bothering to count the sticks.
In my copending application Ser. No. 713,882, Filed Aug. 12, 1976, and entitled "Stick Separating Apparatus", the sticks are counted by a photocell arrangement as they are fed from the chain link conveyor at the pointing station to the runout conveyor. After a suitable time delay after the predetermined count is recorded, the photocell arrangement supplies an electrical signal to actuate an air-operated gate between the end of the chain link conveyor and an input end of the runout conveyor to prevent any further sticks from accumulating on the runout conveyor. Simultaneously, the speed of the runout conveyor is increased some fifteen fold to space the sticks on the runout conveyor from the sticks continuing to accumulate behind the gate. The sticks on the runout conveyor can then be manually grasped by an operator, removed from the conveyor, and loaded directly into a shipping carton. The cycle repeats after another group of a predetermined number of the sticks are counted by the photocell arrangement.
The photocell counter is only accurate provided that the sticks are arranged between them so that individual ones of the sticks break a light beam to activate the photocell each time a stick passes between the beam and photocell. However, due to the cylindrical nature of the sticks and the rotation imparted thereto during the grinding of one end thereof at the pointing station, some of the sticks will have a tendency to bunch together or lie one above the other on the chain link conveyor, resulting in a bunch of sticks simultaneously passing the photocell counter, thereby furnishing an inaccurate count.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,123, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, apparatus is disclosed for aligning and stacking the sticks in parallel, side-by-side relationship to each other. The stack of sticks are vibrated to dispense the sticks laterally, still in parallel alignment, onto a conveyor belt to form a single layer of continuously moving sticks which are in side-by-side engagement. In this type of apparatus, however, a photocell type counter such as that described above, cannot be employed to count the sticks as they pass a selected point on the conveyor since there is insufficient spacing between the sticks to break the light beam each time a stick moves therepast.